 2008-11-26 - Well worth the read
An entertaining look at a resurgent Russia rebounding from the Cold War with its sights set on a return to the ranks of world Super Power. The fact that it all seems mostly possible makes it that much better.
If you are at all intrigued by such characters as James Bond, Sam Fisher or Jack Ryan you will feel right at home with Alex Hawke. His part spy, part action hero approach to problem solving kept me entertained throughout.
I had never read an Alex Hawke novel before reading TSAR and found the manner in which Ted Bell relates the story and fills in the background information pertinent to his current adventure refreshing, making it easy to embrace the main characters as if I had known them all along.
The character development and plot twists contained within keep you guessing as to how it will all end, often times leading you down a path that seems obvious only to have a different outcome at the conclusion of the story.
 2008-11-25 - Tom Clancey readers make room on your bookshelf!
WOW plot and characters. Story line well thought out and exciting. Loved the characters and their interaction. The story kept switching locales, but never lost the plot line or the interest of this reader. Highly recommend for readers of the Clancy, Fleming ilk. You won't be sorry.
2008-11-25 - Submarine Harpoons Airship!
The basic plot is 007 up against a SPECTRE that's taken years to distribute powerful bombs all around the world, and now wants ONE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS! in blackmail. 007 gets the girl, defeats SPECTRE, loses the girl, almost dies, but fetches up in a tropical paradise, back to eliminating free radicals.
Oh, and yes, a submarine harpoons an airship.
The book starts kind of slow. And, to be honest, spends waaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on lingering descriptions of the two God- and Goddess-like characters at the center of the plot. I almost tossed it aside, the writing was that over the top. (Oh, and the SAW is the "M-249". "2", dammit! Minor niggle.)
Which would have been a pity, because about half-way through things start to speed up, finishing with a bang. Literally.
This is a fun read, not too heavy, and turns into a real page-turner about half-way in. Other than that, well, it might be a good book to read before vacationing in Bermuda.
2008-11-25 - Starts Slow, But There's a Huge Finish
Despite the fact that I'm a fan of Lord Alexander Hawke and the fact that the plot of Ted Bell's newest thriller seems to have involved a bit of timely real-life clairvoyance (the invasion of Georgia), if I hadn't agreed to review it, I might not have persevered in finishing this tome. Mr. Bell's prose is, as always, incredibly and wonderfully descriptive, such that the reader feels transported to the same locale as his characters, but alas, there is not enough real action in the beginning to draw the reader in and keep him there. I put the book down so many times that it took me four days to finish.
Once past the first 150 pages or so, the action and the plot start to jump into high gear, and our hero, Alex Hawke, comes back to life and doesn't disappoint. The reader's interest is finally engaged, and the book becomes the real page turner one has come to expect from Mr. Bell. If one pushes through the rather slow beginning, this book is actually quite fascinating.
Carol Ann Hopkins 11/25/2008
2008-11-25 - In Soviet Russia...
A lot of corollaries have been drawn between James Bond and this book, and for good reason. You are reentered into your childhood spy imagination, but with more action (not to mention a love story).
The description and others have better reviewed the plot, so I'll leave that be. However, I did have some issues staying focused in the book, the action pulled me in, but occasionally some of the superfluous sentences didn't keep my attention and I found myself wandering. It's still a great read.
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